I'm genetically inflexible and my torso is relatively shorter than average, so I have difficulty sitting cross-legged. When I try to do so, I can't seem to lock my legs together and I have to manually lock them by hand, and I'll start getting leg cramps after awhile, not to mention the pain on my Achilles tendons (especially on hard ground). Which stretches would benefit me most?

There are many possibilities... my first advice would be STOP beating yourself up over it... (let someone else have that ~priveledge~ ) You have been inside your body for HOW many years now ???? This trouble and those like it will NOT disappear over night. Adheasions, contractions, and physical tension... took a while to become that way. It will take time to reverse them. If reversing them was instantanious, it would be a pill not a practice.

It is likely you have the same lower back & pelvis muscle tightness that most of us do. To get at some of those core muscles will take careful study on your part, and or by someone who is a trained & experienced yoga instructor perhaps? Simple stretching sequences, the Hatha-Yoga "Sun Saluation" might be a place to start....

My gut reaction is you require a LARGE bolster pillow to place under you when you do sit cross legged. Take the strain off the lower back, maybe reduce the pressure on your calves. www.YogaJournal.com has some decent sections on how to do certain stretches, achieve certain physical positions and a large membership who could certainly help if better advice does not appear here. Hopefully keeping this active will get others to assist more directly.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not beating myself up or anything, I'm merely wondering which parts of my body are the inflexible ones. Also, I know that stretching may take well over a few months before you get your achieved flexibility. With that said, what should I stretch to be able to sit cross-legged comfortably? I'm guessing either the hamstring or the hip flexor...